Postal Address: P.O. Box 22, Whyalla S.A. 5600
Phone/Fax: (08) 8645 9909 Email: admin@westwhyallafootballclub.com
CLUBROOM 1
The first shed, Army West, was a single mans shed from BHP. approximately, 12ft X 10ft, it was used as a change room only. The cost was 20 pounds. Kerosene lamps were provided for lighting. No water, No showers.
CLUBROOM 2
All members were to take part in building the galvanized and timber frame. The timber frame was erected one weekend but before the iron was fixed to the frame, a strong north wind blew up. The workers tied ropes to a truck to help it from collapsing; they left the clubroom tied to the truck overnight. After the shed was completed, seating was affixed to the outer walls, with trestles around the front and the centre was left for dancing. A bar and shower were at one end of the clubroom and hot water was heated up outside. The system was called the `Donkey Boiler' and members had the chore of keeping the water hot.
CLUBROOM 3
Todays clubroom is part of clubroom 3. The kitchen, dance floor, change rooms and toilets were built. A concrete wall-forming machine erected concrete walls. Building the walls 12 inches longer and 6 inches wider, it was claimed to be the biggest football club inWhyalla at the time. The ceiling and jarrah floors were made. The toilet and shower ran off the old septic tank system, filling up on high tide, as the sea water rises and falls only 4 foot below ground level. That must've been a real pain!
CLUBROOM 4
All work was completed in 11 weeks and under the original price of $80,000. The kitchen was upgraded and a new bar was formed. In 1983, the clubroom was badly damaged by fire. Part of the roof, ceiling and the main hall was rebuilt; smoke damage destroyed a lot of memorable club photgraphs.
DID YOU KNOW....
Westies won their 1 St premiership in 1957. Gathering at the Nugget Hynes Bar at the Spencer Hotel. The festivities began. Every hour the lads would march up and down the street, into the Bayview and Whyalla hotel playing bugles and trumpets.
Mary Dunn was the first female life member.
Ladies on the social committee cooked food and had to get the goodies down to the `old tin shed' the best way possible. The food was delivered in prams.
A rabbitting expedition was assigned by a small group of members to aid sufficient nourishment for a forthcoming victory dinner.
Incentive payments were certainly not scarce during the 1950's.One such incentive was that of a pound of fruit awarded to the best match trier each week.
One premiership night, the takings were rather large to keep on premises so Treasurer Bill Webb took the takings home and stored it under a hen in his chook yard.
DID YOU KNOW....
1944
Saw West Whyalla introduced to football public, bearing the colours of green and gold. The Guernsey's were made of hessian, giving players skin rashes and irritations.
1953
Monies raised at a disclosed address in Whyalla for an end of year trip to Broken Hill. The sale of bottles of beer, one and two gallon kegs, card games and betting on the Adelaide races raised enough money to have an enjoyable weekend.
1960's
It was normal practice in this time to give players a `nip' of sherry at 3/4 time, but due to weather conditions, evaporation caused a big problem and if you were a player you were lucky to suck the cork dry!
1955-1964
Clubs were finally allowed to have liquor permits to consume alcohol after 1958.
Bennett oval was completed in 1963.
Bob Claytons workshop was the `Number 2' clubroom.
DID YOU KNOW....
Meeting 11.3.63
Discussions with local police Inspector....
- Permit required for Saturday nights
- Members and couples only to be admitted
- All persons to be well dressed and remain sober
- Members only on a Sunday morning
- Clubroom to be cleared by midday on a Sunday
A match in 1953, at the Memorial oval saw 2 players, Syd Harvie and Joe Fargher run onto the ground with party hats which they gained from a Port Augusta Ball the previous night. The threatening sacking of both players was averted by them being the 2 best players on ground.
Many yarn spinners, jugglers, magicians were the entertainment in the `old tin shed' but a certain member was unbeaten at Hair Pulling. Not even a state champion heavy weight could budge him.
For several years in the 50's, Westies committees would light a big bonfire on their grounds so the young children could set their crackers off and watch the splendor of their skyrockets.
DID YOU KNOW....
In 1944 the first Westy clubroom was transported in pieces to west of the cemetery near the Cowell Road. Whilst Jack Fargher and son Joe guarded timber and iron, two opportunists started gathering up the debris until the `Grey Ghost' appeared. The pair bolted thinking the ghost was from the cemetery, the would be thieves later became respected members, one earning life membership.
WWFC Guernsey's first used by the army football team during WWII were navy blue and white horizontal bands. These guernseys shrank and discoloured to become the double blues colours and thus, also, became Westies first premiership side.
Someone has said that a club is made up of 4 bones:
1) WISHBONE: who spends all their time wishing someone else would do the work.
2) JAWBONE: who do all the talking but very little of anything else.
3) KNUCKLEBONE: who knocks anything that anyone else does.
4) BACKBONE: who gets into the load of work and gets the job done.
